1. Living in the Kingdom of God: This uptempo album opener instantly reminds Southern Gospel fans of Dailey & Vincent why they came to love the group in the first place. Sometimes infusing a bluegrass instrumental palette with Southern Gospel-inspired vocals seems awkward. But sometimes it is brilliant genius. This song is the latter. 

2. The Fourth Man: On three or four tracks, Dailey & Vincent took a straight-ahead Southern Gospel piano-led approach. (Tim Parton did some of the piano parts, though it’s not credited which piano tracks are his.) Sometimes it’s a little awkward (see below), but “The Fourth Man” seems so natural that one might think Dailey & Vincent could fit in comfortably on the Southern Gospel circuit if the Bluegrass gig ever falls through. The project is at least half covers; this is both the strongest of the covers and the strongest of the Southern Gospel tracks.

3. Until At Last I’m Home: Darrin Vincent was one of the song’s co-writers, making the two strongest songs on the project the two contributed by the group’s front men. This is certainly the hardest moment on the album to capture in words. So often, one can walk away from a song thinking that just a little more vocal enthusiasm, instrumental energy, or orchestration would have brought the song to its full potential. But this song has the enthusiasm and the drive. It has the driving banjo, the enthusiastic vocals, and even the big final verse and chorus. But somehow it feels like too much.

Picture the song with just a guitar and mandolin, or with an acoustic-driven setting like the recent Collingsworth Family track “That’s the Place I’m Longing to Go.” The picture it performed in a slower, mellow arrangement, with perhaps a slight hint of melancholy, by a trio with tight harmonies like Voices Won, Paid in Full, or Declaration. This could be that sort of show-stopping moment that leaves an audience silent for several moments after the passing note.

Or, picture Dailey & Vincent delivering it much like they delivered “By the Mark,” a song that helped launch their career. This could have been another “By the Mark” for them. Yet even as it is, it’s strong enough to be one of the standout tracks.

:1. Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord: Sometimes pairing Dailey & Vincent’s vocals with a piano-driven Southern Gospel track works so well that a casual listener might be surprised to learn that the group is one of Bluegrass’s hottest bands. This is the case on “The Fourth Man” (see above); it’s even more evident on “Daddy Sang Bass,” where a prominent string accompaniment joins the piano, bass, and percussion. “Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord” is another story; while it will likely delight bluegrass fans new to the song, Southern Gospel fans are more likely to walk away thinking that the song would have been better off left in the hands of the Statler Brothers and Southern Gospel groups. This rendition is far from terrible; it’s simply not as strong as the other covers.

We recently took nominations for the best single-song Cathedrals performances on YouTube; we sought both find representatives of major eras in the group’s history and to discover those moments that capture what made the group great and got us to love them. Now it’s time to vote! Which five are most deserving of a place in the top twenty-five?

(A list with links is after the poll and the break; click through to the full post to see it.)

Continue reading: Essential 25, The Cathedrals: The Poll

Our family was going to perform an afternoon concert in East Battle Lake, Minnesota. The venue was located in a restored chapel on an island in the middle of East Battle Lake. It was a warmer day, and do to the antiquity of the building, we made sure we opened up the windows in the chapel, as air conditioning was not an option.

After we finished setting up our equipment, we began to mingle among the audience who had gathered. I spotted a young man in the front pew, and we began to pleasantly converse with each other. In the middle of our conversation, we were interrupted by a middle-aged mother, and her daughter who was about two-years-old. Instead of choosing to walk around us to get to their seat in the front pew, the mother chose to shepherd her daughter in between us conversing men. My mind was saying, “That was unique”, but then I looked around myself and saw that I was hogging up quite a bit of the walkway. The chapel we were in was fairly small, the distance between the steps up to the platform and the first pew being no more then two feet. It was so small that the pews, which might have held eight people max, ran all the way to the wall, each pew having a corresponding window.

As we talked, I looked down to the end of the pew, just in time to see the little daughter walk up to the corresponding window, push out the screen, and promptly fall out. Needless to say, my heart stopped. Our conversation ended too. I found myself running down the aisle, wondering if we were in a one or two story building.

The Chapel

I ran out the front door (to the surprise of a few people) and dreading to do it, turned and looked at where the window was. To my surprise, I saw the mother step out the window, and pick her daughter up. The girl had fallen a maximum of a foot in height. My poor little mind almost couldn’t handle it. The adrenaline rush of fear almost toppled me over in shock. I shakily walked over to the window after the mother and daughter stepped back inside through the window, and as calmly as possible replaced the screen. I then shakily walked back inside the chapel, and did my best to regain my composure. All I know was that I was glad it turned out NOT to be a two-story building!

 Submitted by Ben – ’cause he’s “Ben” there!

Which would you rather see?

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Roy McNeal is scheduled to undergo a stress test today and have a pacemaker inserted. During his Southern Gospel career, he sang both tenor and lead singer parts, and performed with the Rangers, Stamps Quartet, and Prophets Quartet, among others. (The prayer request and photo are both courtesy of Dianne Wilkinson, who lives in McNeal’s town.)

UPDATE, 2/8/12, 5/39 A.M.: All went well and smoothly.

While the song was out there in the form we know it for years, it didn’t hold the place it holds as one of the most popular hymns until the 1960s. In fact, its rise was sudden enough that the Blackwood Brothers, when composing liner notes for their 1971 compilation Put Your Hand in the Hand, listed it with songs popularized by Jesus Music: 

But not all the songs included here are pure gospel music as such. For this album contains three songs which may be considered themes of the young people who are now turning to religion more than ever before. This religious naissance [sic], widely popularized in what has come to be called the “Jesus Revolution,” has spawned a mixture of the traditionally secular with contemporary folk or pop rock. This has produced such upbeat tunes as the title tune of this collection, Put Your Hand in the Hand, which was so successful as recorded by the young rock group, Ocean. Another song, Amazing Grace, became popular in folk circles and catapulted to the top of the music charts when performed by Judy Collins. Then there is Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel’s poignant affirmation of dedication and love. These pop-oriented songs with gospel overtones take on a new dimension when sung rousingly or quietly by the Blackwood Brothers.

Interesting perspective!

At 208 pages, a book-reading culture would consider that book an easy read. But in a post-book-reading culture, where attention spans have been shortened to a 140-character tweet or a 160-character text message, it has become harder for teens to handle even that light of a read. So a team of Answers in Genesis writers recently prepared a condensed and briefer version for teens.

The Answers Book For Teens hits the high points of key apologetics questions like how we can know God exists and why God permits evil. It also covers common questions about the authority of Scripture and the authenticity of its creation account. (It’s about a 70/30 or 60/40 split with general apologetics / Creation-specific apologetics.)

The book’s grunge-influenced graphic design and illustrations are, quite likely, indeed exactly what is cool today. But they’re cool today in the same way that mullets or big hair were cool in the ’80s. It’s the current fad, but undoubtedly today’s teens will look back on it in twenty years and say, “I thought that was COOL then?” That said, it’s undoubtedly exactly the course the book’s graphic designers needed to take to reach their target audience. 

Also, despite the strength of the young-earth Creationist view in homeschooling circles, this book is decidedly targeted toward a public school audience. Of the fifteen questions, one (#12) is devoted to whether it’s legal to talk about faith or pray inside government schools; another (#10) deals with intimate relationships outside of marriage in a fashion clearly targeted toward a government schooling audience. (This book’s not for homeschooling teens, but that’s not necessarily a problen. Most home-educated teens, even those without a scientific bent, could easily handle the fairly light read of the adult version.)

Answers Book for Teens hits its target. It offers a clear and cogent apologetic for Christianity and for the accuracy of Scriptures in a way appropriate for its target government-schooling audience.

Review copy provided; a positive review was not required.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me. If you abide in me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you” (John 15:4, 7)

Do you ever wonder if you’re bearing any fruit in your Christian life? A large part of why we don’t is we’re not dwelling with Christ as we should. As each year progresses, it seems like the Church loses more and more power and zeal. We’ve become so much like the world it’s hard to tell us apart. It seems as though we’ve become worried about becoming too Heavenly minded that we’re not Heavenly minded at all.

Colossians 3: 2-3 tells us to, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Scripture tells us repeatedly to put on the mind of Christ, to think about virtuous things, to abide in Christ. God doesn’t make us do these things but, if we are true Christians, each day will draw us closer to Him. We will become more Heavenly minded. We will begin to radiate more of His love and exhibit more of His Spirit until it is no longer us who lives but Christ who lives in us. Brothers and Sisters, this is our goal.

Begin to consciously practice dwelling in God’s presence. Ask Him to walk with you and keep you focused on Him. As you seek Him and draw near to Him daily, you will find yourself changing to become more and more like Him. That’s my goal. I pray it’s yours as well.

• Brian Free & Assurance: Brian Free was concerned that he had heart problems; testing revealed that his heart is in good shape, and that it’s more likely to be either blood pressure or acid reflux related. (Notably, the Facebook post making that announcement accumulated 720 likes, which must be something approaching a record for Southern Gospel groups on Facebook.)
• Collingsworth Family: The Collingsworth Family announced that they will release two albums this year, an acapella hymns album and a Christmas project. They are accepting song suggestions here.
• Gaither Vocal Band: The Gaither Vocal Band is in the studio working on a new project. It will have a bluegrass feel, and include acoustic versions of “Rumor Mill” and “The Love of God.”

Worth Reading

• Andrew S. offers a textbook example of how to cover a concert that got a lukewarm response.
• SGConcerts’ Diana Brantley opens her video archives.

Worth Watching

Recently, multiple users (including the group themselves) have posted footage of Eric Phillips with the Mark Trammell Quartet. There are too many good clips to post just one, so here’s a list:

• Glory Road (encore)
• Wedding Music
• How Big is God
• Glory Road (another version)
• Calvary Medley
• The Love of God

Worth Discussing

It’s open thread Saturday—you decide!

A few of you may have seen this up briefly over the last month, during testing. We’ve officially flipped the switch now. How does it display on your phones and tablets?

(Also, who can name the group featured in silhouette on the masthead? Bonus points if you can name the specific lineup!)